Synthesizing Nostalgia: How an AI-Generated ‘Ejaje 1981’ Polish Hit Rewired Memory, Virality, and Copyrights
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15503/emet2025.185.199Keywords:
AI music, nostalgia, copyright, viral media, generative creativityAbstract
Background. The 2025 Polish viral song “Tak kocha się tylko w filmach – Ejaje 1981” was wholly generated by artificial intelligence (AI) to emulate a fictional 1981 pop-disco hit, got a few million views in streaming media in May/June 2025 making it an ideal case for studying AI’s impact on music creativity and reception.
Method. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we conducted (i) a musicological analysis of Ejaje 1981, (ii) legal and phonographic market perspective (iii) a sociological analysis of ~1200 social-media comments and sharing patterns across platforms. (iv) foresight, is this viral event an outlier or indicative of a larger shift in music culture?
Results. The AI track blends disco-pop and retro timbres convincingly, yet copies protected lyrics and creates melody. Virality was driven by TikTok remix culture, cross- generational nostalgia, and a “false-memory” effect wherein older listeners believed they had heard the song decades earlier.
Discussion. Findings align with prior AI-music precedents (i.e. Suno-GEMA dis- pute) indicating that generative AI is reshaping perceptions of authenticity, authorship, and market entry barriers. Hit single cessation was previously associated with a “divine spark”, now it was engineered. We show specificity of the Polish phonographic market and local tastes as an example of probably the first fully AI-generated single hit here.
Conclusions. Ejaje 1981 exemplifies a broader cultural shift: AI now influences how music is created, circulated, and remembered.
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